I got a lesson this afternoon on how our welfare system is failing the poor, the blind and the orphaned.
Sagita from Sabah , has low vision and categorized as legally blind. Her father died last year and her family moved to her grandmother's house which grandma shares with 2 blind brothers.
Her widowed mother applied for zakat aid in Tawau over a year ago and Baitulmal promised to visit but nobody has turned up yet. So they receive no aid.
Alhamdulillah at last week's conference for the International Union of Braille Quran Services in Istanbul , Alfitrah foundation donated Islamic Braille books including surah Yasin, selected surahs frm the Quran , book of daily doa and Arabic Braille guides to 2 organisations- Albasiir School for the blind in Somalia , and Yardan school for the blind in Kazan, Tatarstan. IBQS will also organise training for their teachers at the Alfitrah office in Kuala Lumpur inshaa Allah.
In the photos are Alfitrah trustees Haji Othman and Norma with Abdulaziz from Tatarstan and Abikar from Somalia.
For our 4th and final charitable event this Ramadan , we included elderly non Muslim blind folk who had not benefited from our earlier events which had been held at a mosque, youth training centre and a secondary school for the visually impaired.
A kind sister from Singapore donated the cash gifts and others donated essential foodstuff like rice sugar cooking oil and flour.
Alhamdulillah we managed to deliver a Braille Quran and white cane to hafiz Mohammed Anwar, the blind postman from.Haripur in Pakistan who was featured a few months ago in a news report.
Alhamdullillah last night Alfitrah Foundation hosted iftar for the teachers and students at SMPK Setapak a secondary school for the visually impaired. The terawih prayers were led by our staff Firdaus and Abdul Majid. Our trustees Dato Hamid and Rafi handed over contributions to the students including vouchers donated by Jakel Store for Eid clothing . Also present was En Adenan Md Yusof CEO of Amanah Raya who also handed over duit Raya to the kids.